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2018-04-16 Regular Meeting NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34 REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 16, 2018 PAGE 88 ASSEMBLY The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners met in Regular Session on Monday, April 16, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. in the Assembly Room of the New Hanover County Courthouse, 24 North Third Street, Wilmington, North Carolina. Members present: Chairman Woody White; Vice-Chairman Skip Watkins; Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, Jr.; Commissioner Patricia Kusek; and Commissioner Rob Zapple. Staff present: County Manager Chris Coudriet; County Attorney Wanda M. Copley; and Clerk to the Board Kymberleigh G. Crowell. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Reverend Joshua Reilly, Long Leaf Baptist Church, provided the invocation and Commissioner Kusek led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA Chairman White requested a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Motion : Commissioner Barfield MOVED, SECONDED by Commissioner Kusek, to approve the items on the Consent Agenda as presented. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. CONSENT AGENDA Approval of Minutes – Governing Body The Commissioners approved the minutes of the Agenda Review Meeting of March 29, 2018 and Regular Meeting of April 2, 2018. Adoption of a Resolution for AT&T’s Acquisition of Easement at 7375 Market Street, Wilmington, NC – County Manager The Commissioners adopted a resolution authorizing the sale of approximately 2,520 square feet of easement (10 feet in width x 252 feet in length) at 7375 Market Street, the location of the Ogden Fire Station. This will be used for AT&T fiber optic cable and will not adversely impact the County’s property. AT&T has agreed to pay the County the value of $10,080 and all associated closing costs. The New Hanover County Tax Department has reviewed AT&T’s offer and has determined that it is reasonable. All funds will be deposited into the Fire Service District. A copy of the resolution is hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and is contained in Exhibit Book XLI, Page 7.1. Approval of Two Donations for Accession into the Museum’s Permanent Collection – Cape Fear Museum The Commissioners approved a list of two objects to be accessioned into the Cape Fear Museum’s permanent collection. The objects were approved by the Museum Advisory Board at its meeting on March 21, 2018 and a list of the items is available for review at the Cape Fear Museum. Approval of 2017-2018 Board of Education Budget Amendment #5 – Strategy and Budget The Commissioners approved the 2017-2018 Board of Education Budget Amendment #5. On March 6, 2018, the New Hanover County Board of Education approved the 2017-2018 Budget Amendment #5, which: 1) In the General Fund (Current Expense), increased payments to charter schools by $500,000 for prior year growth in number of pupils, which was funded by Appropriated Fund balance, and made miscellaneous transfers. 2) In the Capital Outlay Fund, transferred $89,626 in savings from Sidbury Road projects and $78,374 of contingency to fund $168,000 for Mobile Classroom Replacements. $77,756 of those mobile classroom replacement expenses were moved to Program 817 so that they can be tracked separately as projects being funded with Interlocal Sales Tax Refunds. Adoption of Budget Amendments – Strategy and Budget The Commissioners adopted the following budget amendments amending the annual budget ordinance for fiscal year ending June 30, 2018:  Department of Social Services 18-050  Sheriff’s Office 18-051, 18-052, 18-053, 18-054, 18-055, 18-056 Copies of the budget amendments are hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and are contained in Exhibit Book XLI, Page 7.2. REGULAR ITEMS OF BUSINESS ADOPTION OF PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING TRAVEL AND TOURISM WEEK Chairman White reported that the Wilmington and Beaches Convention and Visitor Bureau (CVB) has requested the Board adopt a proclamation recognizing May 6-12, 2018 as Travel and Tourism Week. Commissioner Kusek read the proclamation into the record. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34 REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 16, 2018 PAGE 89 Motion : Commissioner Barfield MOVED, SECONDED by Vice-Chairman Watkins, to adopt the proclamation th declaring the week of May 6-12, 2018 as the 35 Annual National Travel and Tourism Week in New Hanover County. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. On behalf of the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority (TDA), Wilmington Beaches and CVB President and CEO Kim Hufham accepted the proclamation and expressed appreciation for the County’s continued support of the tourism industry. She invited the Commissioners to the Travel Rally Breakfast on May 11, 2018. Tourism is a very important economic generator to our area and the dollars it brings, not only the tax dollars but the occupancy tax dollars, helps fund tourism marketing, beach replenishment, lifeguards, and other important items here in the County. She thanked Commissioner Kusek for her service to the TDA. A copy of the proclamation is hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and is contained in Exhibit Book XLI, Page 7.3. ADOPTION OF PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING APRIL 26 – 29, 2018 AS "STAND AGAINST RACISM DAYS" IN NEW HANOVER COUNTY Chairman White reported that the Commissioners have been asked to support the YWCA’s efforts to eliminate racism during its annual "Stand Against Racism Days" April 26 – 29, 2018. He stated that his wife, daughter, and he attended the Martin Luther King, Jr. 50-Year Commemoration event. It was an incredible experience to be there. The common theme throughout the evening, in addition to celebrating Dr. King's legacy, his achievements, and also recognizing the distance we still have to travel in our community and culture, was the idea of all of us joining together to rise above petty divisions that divide us. We all have choices every day where we can decide to use social media to say things about or do things to people, or we can choose not to and choose to focus on the greater good. At the end of the program, the minister asked everyone to hold hands. Chairman White was standing next to a white Republican that he has known for twenty years. He held the gentleman’s hand through the prayer but not afterwards. Again, it was an incredible evening. Over the next few days he received a number of social media hits from people in the audience who were taking pictures of him not holding hands and castigating him for choosing not to be part of this ceremony. A lot of prominent people made comments on social media about it, people that he knows in this community, people that know him, or should. Chairman White further stated that he has spent twenty-three years in this community and practicing law here. He has taken trials to the Federal Government, won verdicts on behalf of African Americans, and stood next to many of them when they were falsely accused and he was the only one who believed in their innocence. Not just blacks, whites, Muslims, but everyone that was in need of his services. The day after the event when people decided to post these things, they had a choice to make. They could celebrate what was an incredible evening and talk about the legacy of Dr. King and perpetuate about the positive momentum that came out of that; or they could post a picture of him not holding hands with Ed Higgins and claiming that he was racially insensitive. They opted for the latter choice. He does not believe that in any way helps us rise above our petty divisions. He asked that everyone keep that in mind in regards to this proclamation, the daily choices we all make, and try to be thoughtful when they post things on social media. He includes himself in that request as he knows he has been guilty of it too. Chairman White read the proclamation into the record and asked for direction from the Board. Motion: Commissioner Barfield MOVED, SECONDED by Commissioner Zapple, to adopt the proclamation recognizing the week of April 26 – 29, 2018 as “Stand Against Racism Days.” Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Chairman White invited YWCA Executive Director Charrise Hart to step forward to receive the proclamation and make remarks. On behalf of the YWCA Board, staff, and volunteers, Director Hart thanked the Board for recognizing April 26 – 29, 2018 as “Stand Against Racism Days” in New Hanover County. This is a signature campaign of the YWCA USA to build community and raise awareness about the negative impact of institutional and structural racism in our communities. Each year there are over 2,000 community sites, including United Ways, Chambers of Commerce, state governments, other municipalities, universities, colleges, Fortune 500 companies, churches, schools, civic organizations, and hospitals that participate in this event. The YWCA Lower Cape Fear will be hosting its eighth annual Stand Against Racism event on Friday, April 27, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. on the steps of City Hall in downtown Wilmington. During the Martin Luther King, Jr. 50-Year Commemoration event, she had the opportunity to speak and declare YWCA Lower Cape Fear’s commitment to Dr. King's six steps of nonviolent community change, in which he emphasized that in order to have successful change we need the following: information gathering, education, personal commitment, discussion, direct action, and reconciliation. The YWCA Lower Cape Fear joins thousands across this country in taking a peaceful stand against racism while promoting the empowerment of people in our community. This peaceful stand against racism is just the beginning of our quest for nonviolent community change. Commissioner Barfield stated that he has enjoyed being a part of the Potlucks for Peace that have been taking place in our community over the last couple of years. He finds there is a great cross-section of citizens from the community participating in events to really talk about racial reconciliation, among other things. He has been a victim of that on more than one occasion. He lets folks know who he is and what he does and they are quite surprised and move on about their business, but it's still there. Again, there have been so many great community conversations from St. James Parish putting on a conversation of “America's Original Sin” to several small groups around here now talking about that one thing and bringing different people together. In light of what's happening in our community, in our country, he thinks it's important and expressed appreciation to the YWCA Lower Cape Fear for its efforts. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34 REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 16, 2018 PAGE 90 A copy of the proclamation is hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and is contained in Exhibit Book XLI, Page 7.4. PRESENTATION OF SERVICE AWARDS AND INTRODUCTION OF NEW EMPLOYEES County Manager Coudriet recognized the following employee receiving a retirement award: Carolyn Hughley, Register of Deeds Office, retiring with five and a half years of service. Chairman White presented a retirement award to Ms. Hughley and the Commissioners expressed appreciation and thanked her for her years of dedicated service. County Manager Coudriet requested the following employees to step forward to receive service awards: Five Years: Yazmin Manilla-Alvares, Property Management Ten Years: Regina Floyd-Davis, Social Services Craig Kelly, Sheriff’s Office Fifteen Years: Matthew Davis, Fire Services Gina Herring, Elections Steven Person, Community Justice Services Chairman White presented a service award to each person and the Commissioners expressed appreciation and thanked each one for their years of dedicated service. County Manager Coudriet requested the following new employees to stand and be introduced: Shannan Blanks, Health Stephen Collins, Building Safety Yolanda Daniels, Community Justice Services John Friend, Building Safety Mark George, Environmental Management Eileen Haley, Tax Tina Hankins, Social Services Thomas Harrell, Building Safety Megan Mengistu, Social Services Cynthia Mungia, Social Services Rhonda Reese, Social Services James Stokley, Building Safety Lateria Tate, Property Management Brian Wells, Tax The Commissioners welcomed the employees to County Government and wished them success in their new positions. PRESENTATION OF NEW HANOVER SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT ANNUAL UPDATE Dru Harrison, Director of the New Hanover Soil and Water Conservation District, presented the annual report highlighting the following:  Supervisors: William J. "Bill" Hart, Chairman (Elected); William "Bill" Murray, Jr., Vice Chairman (Appointed); Sue Hayes, Treasurer/Secretary (Appointed); David Dowdy, Member (Elected); Frank Meares, Member (Elected); Steve Skavroneck, Associate; and Richard Groves, Associate  Staff members: Director and Community Conservationist Dru Harrison and Education Coordinator Elissa Riley  Mission: To protect and enhance water quality throughout New Hanover County through stormwater management, land conservation, technical support to citizens and organizations, and conservation education and outreach activities  Services: Education and outreach; cost share programs; technical assistance; and land acquisition and management  Community Education and Outreach: School programs; Outdoor Environmental Learning Centers; community events; monthly rain barrel sales; summer camps; pet waste education; and state, regional and local committees  Cost Share Programs:  Community Conservation Assistance Grant Program (CCAP)  Agriculture Cost Share Grant Program  Heal Our Waterways Grant Program  Best Management Practices (BMP): Rain gardens; wetlands; pet waste receptacles; marsh sill; vegetative cover; impervious surface removal; cisterns; and biorention areas  2018-2019 Goals:  Add an additional Outdoor Environmental Learning Center to the New Hanover County (NHC) public schools to continue with the major initiative of creating and maintaining outdoor classrooms at all NHC public schools  Install five to ten additional BMPs in NHC to improve local water quality NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34 REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 16, 2018 PAGE 91  Find funding to support improve support of cost share programs Director Harrison expressed appreciation for the County’s support of the programs. In response to Board questions, Director Harrison stated that there is an annual reoccurring statewide appropriation of $200,000 in CCAP funds. The NHC District (District) is working to increase this statewide funding through the North Carolina General Assembly to allow greater resources for every Soil and Water Conservation District across North Carolina. In terms of what the increase would mean for here, the District would have approximately $175,000 to $200,000 to spend annually to improve water quality. The District targets watersheds to make the most of the funds received regardless of the amount. The target watersheds would be Hewletts Creek and Pages Creek to improve the water quality and hopefully, remove them from the 303-D list in the future. Regarding best management practices, Director Harrison stated that the Outdoor Environmental Learning Centers have been installed at six local schools. Sometimes those are best management practices, but recently have been installations of pollinator gardens. The difference the BMPs make to the creeks and watersheds is that the nutrients in the water table are lowered as well as sediment levels. All pollutants have a tendency to cling to the sediment. These efforts tie-in directly with tourism and people who want to live in the County because everyone wants clean water and a better environment. Chairman White thanked Director Harrison for the report and thanked the District members for the work they do in the community. PRESENTATION OF NEW HANOVER COUNTY/CITY OF WILMINGTON COMMUNITY RELATIONS ADVISORY COMMITTEE UPDATE Owen Wexler, Chairman of New Hanover County/City of Wilmington Community Relations Advisory Committee (CRAC), presented an update and highlighted the following:  The Committee was established in May 2016 when the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners and Wilmington City Council adopted the bylaws. The bylaws state that operational support to the Committee would be provided by the City and County on a rotating basis every two years, beginning with the City. New Hanover County assumes operational support in October 2018.  Staff Liaisons: Erris Dunston, Assistant to City Manager for Economic Development and Suzanne Rogers, Community Development and Housing Planner  City of Wilmington Members: Member Category Term Expires Walter Samuels Civil Rights Community 9/30/17 Florence Warren Education Community 9/30/18 Kristen McKeithan At-Large 9/30/18 Jen Johnson Business Community 9/30/20 Vacant Faith Community 9/30/19 Lori Wainright At-Large 9/30/19  New Hanover County Members: Member Category Term Expires Evelyn Bryant Civil Rights Community 9/30/18 Emily Cottrell Education Community 9/30/19 Melanie Frank At-Large 9/30/19 Jeff Hovis Business Community 9/30/20 Vacant Faith Community 9/30/17 Owen Wexler At-Large 9/30/18  Officers and Sub-Committee Chairs:  Owen Wexler, Chair; Evelyn Bryant, Vice-Chair; Emily Cottrell, Secretary; Jeff Hovis, Chair Public Education Sub-Committee; Melanie Frank, Chair Crisis/Preparedness Sub-Committee; and Lori Wainright, Chair Programming Sub-Committee  Purpose:  Address community issues involving prejudice or discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, creed or religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability or medical condition  Inform City Council, New Hanover County Commissioners, and other organizations of findings  Make recommendations, in an advisory capacity, to City Council, New Hanover County Commissioners, and other organizations, as necessary  Function, Powers, and Duties:  Study and research conditions which represent prejudice or discrimination, individual or groups  Develop educational and instructional materials and programs promoting equal rights, tolerance, understanding, and inclusiveness  Promote intergroup communication, trust and relationship building, and provide avenues for diverse groups to come together  Serve as a resource during times of community crisis stemming from conflict  Provide information and referrals to community organizations  Recommend, in an advisory capacity, to an appointing authority procedures, programs, or policies promoting equal rights and the recognition and appreciation of human diversity  Sub-committees:  Programming: Promote healthy communication in our community NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34 REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 16, 2018 PAGE 92  Public Education: Work with diverse citizens to gather and disseminate information and educational resources  Crisis Prevention/Preparedness: Work within our community to develop conflict mediation skills  Progress Highlights:  Forming:  Committee formed October 2016  Members appointed  Officers elected  Sub-Committee assignments  Meeting schedule established  Understanding Role:  Dr. Wade, Human Relations Director, City of Fayetteville – January 2017  Retreat/Planning Session held in March 2017  Meetings with City Public Information, Wilmington Police Department, New Hanover County Sheriff, City Clerk and City Assistant Attorney, UNCW  Research:  Five CRAC members attended three-day Critical Incident Stress Management Training  Wilmington Police Department Civil Disturbance Unit, Wilmington Police Department /Wilmington Fire Department Training Facility  Review various reports and plans including, but not limited to, the City of Wilmington and Wilmington Housing Authority Assessment of Fair Housing 2016, City of Wilmington Comprehensive Plan, Workforce/Affordable Housing, and Equity Growth Profile of the Cape Fear Region prepared by Policy Link (2014)  Consultation with Wilmington Police Department, District Attorney, New Hanover County Schools regarding civil injunction against named gang members  Webinar: Implicit Bias hosted by NC Nonprofit Center and National Conference for Community and Justice  Engaging:  Hosted Meet and Greet in October 2017 at Martin Luther King Center  Distributed Citizen Input Tool (survey)  Created brochure and webpage  CRAC Members attended:  Issues Affecting Black Citizens NOW Theatre; Opioid Forum; Potluck for Peace; Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade; Discussion Group Race Matters Book at the County Library; and Civil Disturbance “Peacekeepers'” Training with Wilmington Police Department  Actions/Recommendations:  Regarding community water distribution in response to GenX: submitted letter to City/New Hanover County recommending water be provided in an equitable and accessible manner  Next Steps:  CRAC working with UNCW Social Science Applied Research Center (SSARC) developing a random citizens survey for distribution April 1st  CRAC- UNCW SSARC Survey Goals:  Recognize and understand any disparity in accessing and provision of government services  Compare differences in housing, education, and jobs access  Identify perceptions of growth and development on neighborhood and family stability  Serve as resource for developing recommendations, programs and information  Future:  Ongoing Support for CRAC:  Role of City of Wilmington  Role of New Hanover County In response to Board questions, Mr. Wexler stated the CRAC meets the fourth Thursday of each month and the meeting notices are posted by the City Clerk. They are held in the Lord Compton Conference Room at City Hall. Due to the conference room being scheduled for renovations, the CRAC is working to find another location that provides good public access. There has been some public participation. As this is a new group, it has been hard to obtain recognition within the community. Part of the CRAC’s mission during this time has been to create a higher profile in the community, which includes working with the UNCW Social Science Applied Research Center. Regarding questions about the transition from the City of Wilmington to the County for the next two years, Mr. Wexler stated that it is his hope there will be a transitional period to bring County staff up to speed. The transition steps will be discussed at upcoming executive committee meetings. In response to Board questions, County Manager Coudriet stated that support personnel have not been identified beyond it being supported through the County Manager’s office. County staff will begin attending the CRAC meetings in advance of the October 2018 transition. In response to Board questions, Mr. Wexler corrected his earlier statement that the committee meets on Thursdays. The committee meets on the fourth Tuesdays of each month. Regarding challenges that have arisen, Mr. Wexler stated that the CRAC is diverse in its constitution, in that the members cover a lot of different areas in the community. There have been challenges in the full committee being able to meet at a common time and having vacancies in the faith category is causing a lack of input from that segment of the community. NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34 REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 16, 2018 PAGE 93 A brief discussion was held about County staff being more engaged now to understand what is occurring within the CRAC. Commissioner Barfield stated that it is important to make sure County staff is engaged in providing the CRAC the full support and tools it needs and making sure the meetings are advertised on the County website. He understands from various conversations there was probably some conflict with UNCW individuals trying to lead the effort and how that may not have been the best possible choice of a facilitator. Mr. Wexler stated that having County staff attending the meetings now would help speed up the October transition. The Wilmington Police Department and the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office have extended their full services and sent staff to participate in the meetings. Regarding upcoming renovations to the Lord Compton Conference Room, Vice-Chairman Watkins asked County Manager Coudriet to look at the possibility of the CRAC utilizing the sixth floor training room of 320 Chestnut Street. Chairman White thanked Mr. Wexler for the report. PRESENTATION OF THE WILMINGTON URBAN AREA METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION(WMPO) 2045 METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLAN (MTP) MEMBER JURISDICTION UPDATE Abby Lorenzo, Senior Transportation Planner of the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO), presented an update on the WMPO 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan, highlighting the following:  Cape Fear Moving Forward 2045 Metropolitan Transportation Plan:  Wilmington Urban Area MPO was created in 1978 when the Wilmington population area exceeded 50,000.  Member Jurisdictions: Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, Leland, Belville, Navassa, New Hanover County, Brunswick County, Pender County, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), and Cape Fear Public Transportation Authority  WMPO Responsibilities:  Federally mandated to provide a comprehensive, continuing, and cooperative planning process for metropolitan areas with 50,000+ populations  This planning process serves the basis for the expenditure of all federal transportation funds in the Wilmington MPO area  Assists with the prioritization of transportation projects in the State/Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Programs  Coordinates WMPO Board recommendations and activities  Completes and adopts Metropolitan Transportation Plan  WMPO Board Organization:  Board is comprised of elected and appointed officials (for New Hanover County, Vice- Chairman Watkins and Commissioner Barfield serve on the WMPO Board)  Technical Coordinating Committee is comprised of planning and operations staff  Subcommittees: Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee; Transportation Demand Management Committee; Citizen Advisory Committee; and Modal Subcommittees  Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP):  Federally required long range transportation plan with a minimum 20-year horizon:  Multi-modal transportation needs analysis  Region demographics, land use, and travel pattern analysis  Fiscal analysis and constraint  Public Involvement  Basis for State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)/Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (MTIP):  Expenditure of federal transportation funds in our region  Currently Adopted Plan: Cape Fear Transportation 2040 – Identifying Tomorrow’s Travel Needs Today  Moving Forward 2045 Vision Statement: The 2045 MTP will plan for a safe, realistic, efficient, and reliable multimodal transportation network that embraces innovation and is environmentally and socially responsible.  Plan Development Schedule:  Initial public outreach efforts: April – July 2018  Public comment review and analysis: August – September 2018  Develop project lists: October – December 2018  Prioritize projects and draft plan: January – December 2019  Public hearings and plan approval process: January – November 2020  How to Get Involved: www.CapeFearMovingForward2045.org:  The WMPO is conducting a 17-question survey about transportation issues and services in the Wilmington area. The results will be used to identify travel needs and develop recommendations to make it easier to travel around the region (answers will be completely confidential).  Open Houses: Location: Date and Time: Carolina Beach Town Hall Tuesday, May 1 st from 4PM – 6PM Hampstead Annex TBD NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34 REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 16, 2018 PAGE 94 Leland Town Hall Tuesday, May 8 th from 4PM – 6PM New Hanover County Senior Center Monday, May 14 th from 4PM – 6PM Thalian Hall – Wilmington City Hall Wednesday, May 16 th from 4PM – 6PM In response to Board questions, Ms. Lorenzo stated that within the Cape Fear Transportation 2040 Plan there are projects currently under construction in our area. An example is the Kerr Avenue widening project. This plan serves as the basis for the projects that the WMPO submits to the state for scoring and prioritization and for its ten- year improvement plan. There are various projects from the 2040 plan, which was adopted in 2015, incorporated into that. A brief discussion was held about how projects, such as the Gordon Road widening project, move on and off the list of improvements to be made by NCDOT. Ms. Lorenzo stated that the state develops on a two-year rotating basis its transportation improvement program. Projects are submitted by the WMPO to the state for scoring. The scoring is quantitative, developed by the state, and looks at things such as safety, benefit costs, etc. Each project submitted receives a score and based on those scores and the funding expected to come into the region, the state prioritizes and programs those projects. The WMPO, for the regional and divisional tiers of the state and federal funding, does have the opportunity to rank and score projects itself and provide local input points which makes up part of the score on the regional and divisional level. In the end, it comes down to scoring and what gets programmed to receive funding. Regarding how the public can have an effect on the scoring, Ms. Lorenzo stated the public can make sure their voice is heard especially during the WMPO long range plan development; making sure the projects they care about are incorporated into this plan. That is the first step in making sure any project receives federal funds. Moving forward, the public will have an opportunity to comment on the WMPO’s local point assignment, attend meetings and provide input during certain time frames and the next time frame opens in June. There are opportunities for the public th to be involved and stay informed about what the WMPO is doing. The May 16 open house is for the plan development. WMPO staff will be present to help citizens coming in, answering questions about the plan on how the organization and the plan work, and help them with tools created to solicit their feedback. It is separate from the prioritization of projects. In response to further Board questions, Ms. Lorenzo reiterated that the WMPO has local input points it is allowed to design for regional and divisional tiers, and there is a chance for the public to comment on that point selection. In terms of the programming, that is done by NCDOT. The WMPO is allowed in the regional and divisional tier funding to assign local input points where there are 1,500 points that it can assign in each tier. The WMPO submits those scores and has information on the projects that have been quantitatively scored for prioritization by the state. The WMPO has its own regionally selected criteria for those projects, adopted by the WMPO Board, which staff uses to work through to rank all the projects. Based on those rankings, the 1,500 points are distributed for each. Commissioner Barfield stated that at each WMPO meeting many are in attendance from the public and the public comment period is at the beginning of each meeting. The public is always encouraged to speak and many do share their concerns. The WMPO Board is comprised of thirteen individuals, twelve are elected, and one is assigned by the NCDOT Board of Directors. This Board is actually who will choose the priorities and it's a regional board representing the northern part of Brunswick County, the eastern part of Pender County, and New Hanover County. Trying to divide the 1,500 points up from a regional approach can sometimes be a challenge. The projects are ranked every year; some things fall off the list and some things rise to a higher priority. Again, the public is always invited to attend the meetings. The WMPO Board has a forty percent weight with NCDOT and NCDOT has a sixty percent weight. Essentially, the WMPO Board is an advisory board to NCDOT and NCDOT is going to make its determination based on what it is seeing on its end. The WMPO Board sometimes does not agree with NCDOT decisions. At the end of the day, NCDOT has the control and will decide what it will do. In response to Board questions, Ms. Lorenzo stated that the WMPO meeting agendas are available on the WMPO website the Friday before the meeting. Vice-Chairman Watkins stated that a lot of the projects that are approved are not necessarily funded. Chairman White thanked Ms. Lorenzo for the report. CONSIDERATION AND APPROVAL OF APPLICATION FOR DUKE ENDOWMENT FUNDING TO CONTINUE WORK WITH RISK ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR CHILD WELFARE Department of Social Services (DSS) Director Michelle Winstead stated that over the past two years DSS has been working with SAS, a leading technology company in the nation and located in Cary, NC, as well as Duke Endowment on a pilot project that has started to gain significant interest throughout the state. Recently, Dr. Mandy Cohen, Secretary of the NC Division of Health and Human Services stopped by DSS to see how this product works. This product involves data analytics and offers a risk assessment tool to keep our children, families, and workers safe. The Board is being asked to consider approving a grant application being submitted for the Duke Endowment funding to continue this work and introduce cutting edge technology to improve safety and protective efforts in child welfare. She asked Assistant DSS Director Wanda Marino to continue to the presentation. Assistant Director Marino stated that this is one of the most exciting endeavors she has been involved with in her career and is one of the reasons she has not retired. When she heard about this pilot, she became passionate about pursuing it. DSS is piloting this product for North Carolina. Originally, Duke Endowment provided $800,000 in funding. DSS started collaborating with SAS and Duke Endowment on this pilot, but it could not have been done NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34 REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 16, 2018 PAGE 95 without the Information Technology department and Chief Information Officer Leslie Chaney being an integral part of making it successful. DSS has a case management system that is holding twenty years of data, which is not being used it to its full capacity. This pilot offered the ability to take that data, add to it the Jail Management System (JMS), and then the 911 data. Prior to this pilot, some of the data was being used by looking at mug shots, getting reports from 911, but that was taking a lot of time. Then if DSS has a report from Child Protective Services (CPS), because this is used with child welfare on any of the current cases, it would take hours to go into the case to research, if there was time. Reports come in rapidly and many of the case workers have high caseloads, so it wasn't possible to do the type research needed, if they even had time. This tool also provides an alert system. The alert system pulls together the JMS data, the DSS case management system of 20 years, and integrates any type of relationship or history with the individual or that family and gives an alert if it recognizes a case or a name that the department currently has open. The alert will go to the caseworker that someone in that case has either been arrested, released, or there is some type of call from 911 that happened the previous evening. This information can also be used at the intake stage when the reports are received. This allows the intake worker the ability to sign into our SAS tool, also known as the visual investigator, and via a vertical timeline look at any involvement that individual has had in our system, which is in our data. In June 2018, DSS will cease using its in-house case management tool and begin using the statewide system, NC Fast, for child welfare. In order to use the analytics tool (visual investigator), SAS must reprogram the software to use data from NC Fast. Ms. Marino stated she has had discussions with Duke Endowment and the organization is completely onboard because it is about child safety. There is no County match required and the $420,000 will allow SAS to build the virtual investigator into the NC FAST system when DSS goes live with it. DSS is in the implementation stage using this pilot and the system provides enhanced child safety. Chairman White thanked Ms. Winstead and Ms. Marino for the presentation and asked for direction from the Board. Motion : Commissioner Barfield MOVED, SECONDED by Commissioner Kusek, to approve DSS submitting a grant application for Duke Endowment funding in the amount of $420,000 to continue to work with risk assessment tools for child welfare. In response to Board questions, Ms. Chaney stated that it is not a true integration. The source for the data for the visual investigator will change from our one-case system to NC Fast. The state already has a mechanism to obtain the data on a nightly basis, it is currently being used for the economic services group. The desire is to use the visual investigator when child welfare comes online with NC Fast, to “feed” the visual investigator rather than pulling it from our case management system. The state mandate is for DSS to be transitioned towards the end of June 2018 to NC Fast. Commissioner Barfield stated that he knows Ms. Winstead, Ms. Marino and the DSS team have been sharing this information across the state and other counties are looking at what is being done here to possibly implement this in their communities. He feels this is a perfect example of how our systems have become more efficient and serve our citizens even better. What he really likes about this request is that no county match is required and that Duke Endowment invited DSS to apply for the grant. He commended DSS for exploring resources outside of County resources to make things work. Chairman White asked for a vote on the motion on the floor. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS Appointments to the New Hanover County Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee Chairman White reported that up to six vacancies exist on the New Hanover County Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee with one applicant eligible for reappointment and three additional applications available for consideration. He asked for direction from the Board. Motion: Commissioner Zapple MOVED, SECONDED by Commissioner Kusek to reappoint Sarah A. Kelly to serve a three-year term on the New Hanover County Nursing Home Community Advisory Committee with the term to expire on April 30, 2021, and Erica M. Batts, Shirley L. Crum, and Marianne Eisenhauer-Wall to serve initial one- year terms with the terms set to expire April 30, 2019. Upon vote, the MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY. Appointment to the Southeastern Economic Development Commission Chairman White stated that in regards to the County Commissioner appointment for the Southeastern Economic Development Commission, and approximately four other boards and committees appointed each January, they have designated terms. The Clerk has asked the Board to give direction on how to designate these specific boards and committees as issues have arisen over the last year or two when the terms expire a few months after Commissioners are appointed to them in January of each year. In the opinions of the Clerk and himself, and he thinks of the rest of the Board, the boards and committees with terms should be made undesignated so the Board can continue to address NEW HANOVER COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS BOOK 34 REGULAR MEETING, APRIL 16, 2018 PAGE 96 them during the months of December or January. This would bring symmetry to the boards and committees that are not symmetrical. General Consensus: The Board, by general consensus, directed the Clerk to change the boards and committees designated with terms on the New Hanover County Commissioners Appointments to Boards and Committees list to have undesignated terms. In response to Board questions, Clerk to the Board Crowell stated that the appointment to the Southeastern Economic Development Commission would not need to be made due to the Board’s decision. A copy of the revised list of Commissioners appointed to County Boards and Committees for 2018 is hereby incorporated as part of the minutes and is contained in Exhibit Book XLI, Page 7.5. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS Chairman White announced that no one signed up to speak under public comment. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, Chairman White adjourned the meeting at 10:28 a.m. Respectfully submitted, Kymberleigh G. Crowell Clerk to the Board Please note that the above minutes are not a verbatim record of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners meeting. The entire proceedings are available for review and checkout at all New Hanover County Libraries and online at www.nhcgov.com.